Our Future Is Bright
by FaithfullyMoncheles
Summary: Based somewhat on Glee's 3x13 'Heart' promo. Following Finn and Rachel's dinner with their parents. Things don't go quite as planned and Finn and Rachel have some talking to do. Short Story.
1. Barbra Can't Even Heal Her Broken Heart

Rachel collapsed onto her bed, burying her face into a pillow. She ran her fingers through her deliciously smelling her with frustration.

She lifted her head up two minutes later, groaning at the sight of mascara stains on her pillows. She wiped her eyes and propped herself up in bed.

Had Finn really just told her that he didn't want to marry her after all? Not only that, had he just announced it in front of his and her parents?  
>As if it wasn't humiliating enough, already.<p>

She knew it had been too good to be true. She had to pinch herself every single day to remind herself that she was engaged to the love of her life, and that he loved her more than anyone or anything else in the world.

Reaching across her night stand, she took a Kleenex from its box and tried to clean up her face. Her eyes were puffy, her nose was raw and her whole face was blotchy and mascara stained.

Rachel toyed with the idea of checking her cell phone.  
>After 30 seconds of deliberation, she plucked up the courage to see if Finn had attempted to make any sort of contact with her.<p>

7 missed calls and 3 text messages from Finn, 2 missed calls and a text from Kurt.

Not feeling up to reading or listening to his messages, Rachel rose up from her bed and went to put Funny Girl into her DVD player in the hopes that it would take her mind off everything.

It did the exact opposite. Everything she did all tied into Finn somehow. Everything she'd hoped and dreamed for had something to do with Finn. Even watching her favourite movie in the entire world was too hard.

She took the remote in her hand and turned off the TV. She couldn't help but turn out her lamp light, lie her head back down on her pillow, and sob.

There was a sudden knock at her bedroom door. Her heart skipped a beat.

"Rachel, sweetheart. Can daddy come in?" her father sweetly said from behind her door.

As much as Rachel loved her father, she really didn't want to talk at this exact moment. She felt like her whole world was ending. Finn was her everything. She wanted to spend the rest of her life with him and she had thought that he wanted to spend his life with her too. It was all becoming clear to Rachel now that that was obviously not the case.

"Daddy, I love you, but I just need some alone time, okay?" Rachel whimpered trying not to sound as though she was sobbing.

Hiram wanted to cry himself. He loved his little girl more than she would ever know. It killed him to see her hurt like this. He knew that Rachel and Finn would work things out and everything would be okay, she just needed to know that.

"Well, I'm here if you need me darling. Just let me know."  
>He made his way back downstairs shrugging.<p> 


	2. Order Is Restored

All the crying was giving Rachel a big headache. She tried closing her eyes and falling asleep, but the tears kept on falling from her eyes and onto her cheeks.

Hours passed sleeplessly. Her mind would not stop reeling. She just wanted everything to be okay and she wanted Finn to still love her.

She checked the time. 4:32AM. Finn had dropped his bombshell at 10:30pm. It felt like years ago now.

"Rachel!"  
>She jumped up. Someone was calling her name from outside her window.<p>

"Rachel! I know you're awake. I can hear you!"  
>It was Finn. How could he hear her? She hadn't said anything for hours. Had he heard her crying?<p>

She decided to stay silent and pretend that she didn't know he was there. She tip toed back into bed and began to cry once more.

"Fine!" she heard him say.

5 minutes later, Finn appeared at her window, hanging onto the drain pipe on the roof of her house.

"What the hell are you doing Finn?" Rachel scolded, running over to the window and letting him in fearing his safety.

"Shh!" he said, clambering into her bedroom and trying to pull her into his arms.

"Don't touch me! I don't want to see you right now. Please just leave!"  
>Rachel walked over to her bedroom door and opened it, signalling for him to leave via the front door.<p>

"But Rachel-" Finn started, walking over to her.

"I don't care about what you have to say, Finn. I thought you loved me. I thought you wanted to be with me. I really, really did." She sobbed, closing her door and sitting on her bed.

She finally made eye contact with Finn.

He winced. She looked awful. He'd never seen her this upset before in his entire life. He felt so guilty. The one thing that he had never wanted was to hurt Rachel. She looked beyond hurt.

"I guess Quinn was right. Everything she said last year is spot on…"

Now he was really confused. What was she talking about now?

"What? What are you talking about?" he sat down next to her putting his arm protectively around her waist.

"She said that I'll never be able to get it right. That, I live in a silly school girl fantasy thinking that I'll be able to have a happy ending with you." She stood, facing him.

"I really thought you loved me, Finn. I could hardly believe that you wanted to marry me. I knew it was too good to be true" she sobbed, walking away burying her face in her hands.

This was not what he wanted at all. His nightmares were coming true. He never ever wanted to hurt Rachel.

"Rachel!"  
>He embraced her, wrapping his arms tightly around her body, kissing her neck.<br>He could hear her weep from within his strong grip.

"You need to listen to me. Please, just listen to what I have to say"  
>Finn took her hand, guided her over to her bed, and led down with her.<p>

He spotted the dozens of discarded tissues on her night stand and wanted to punch himself.

Rachel was way beside herself crying, he held her close to him while she calmed down.

"Rachel Berry. I love you more than you know. I am so sorry for hurting you so badly. I didn't mean what I said, I just freaked out, and I didn't know what I was saying. I want to be with you so badly. The only reason I said what I did was because I felt under so much pressure from your parents, and mine. Please forgive me. I want you and only you. You're the best thing that has ever happened to me. If I can't have you in my life, I don't know I'll do, Rachel. Honestly, I don't know what I'd do without you." He kissed every tear that fell from her eyes, tasting the salt between his lips.

She was still crying, but looked emotionless.  
>He reached out to clasp his fingers between hers, and she reciprocated willingly.<p>

"You don't deserve me, Rachel. You're the most beautiful, talented and special person I have ever met. You could do so much better than me. You need to know that. If I could, I would break you free. I don't want to stop you from achieving your dreams. But I can't. I'm tethered to you, Rachel. No matter where you are, or where I am, I can feel you pulling on my heart. As silly and cliché as that sounds, that's exactly how it feels. When I'm not near you my heart aches. I just want to love you, forever. I was scared that my mum and Burt would completely disapprove of our decision, that's why I said what I did. Honestly, I just wanted to give us a chance without their inputs. I really, really love you Rachel. Like, really, really." He choked up.

Rachel remained silent. Finn began to worry. Had he really blown it?  
>She broke free from his grip and turned to look him straight in the eye.<p>

"You are a part of every single one of my dreams." She croaked, putting her hand on his cheek.  
>" I just can't believe you'd want to marry me. This isn't supposed to happen, not to girls like me. This is supposed to happen to beautiful, blonde teenage dreams like Quinn. I just, I don't believe its happening"<p>

A half smile played at the corners of Finn's mouth.  
>"Well, you better believe it. Because you and I are getting married."<br>He leaned into her, taking her lips with his. She reciprocated the kiss beautifully moving her tongue around his, playfully. He moved his hands from her face down her chest, around her waist and down her back. He nibbled her lips as he finished off the kiss with a peck on the nose.

"I love you" he whispered into her ear, kissing her neck once more.

"I love you too" she squeezed his hand.

Finn rearranged himself comfortably in her bed, snuggling Rachel into his chest.

"I can leave if you want? I didn't have any wine at dinner, so I have my car." Finn rushed anxiously.

Rachel giggled. After everything tonight, he actually thought she would want him to leave?

"No. Please stay. I love it when you cuddle me."

Finn felt so proud. He loved how Rachel appreciated how he showed his affection. He kissed her shoulder blades lightly and traced his finger up and down her left arm.

"But what if your dads catch us in the morning?"

Rachel was surprised that she wasn't worried about what he dads would think.

"Finn, we're engaged. If we're grown up enough to be engaged, we're grown up enough to sleep in the same bed" she sighed, turning around to face him.

"We have sex every chance we get, Rachel." He wrapped his large arms around her tiny waist "They must know by now, right?"

Rachel laughed. This was true. Almost every weekend, since West Side Story closed, they had been at it. Once or twice even. Her father's must have noted her good moods and glowing complexion every Sunday afternoon.

"Yes, I'm pretty sure they know. Don't worry about it. I don't care if they do get mad, I just want you right here, right now."

"Well, that isn't romantic or anything" Finn kissed her forehead.

He loved how he felt right now. He wanted to capture this moment, and live in it forever.

"Are you tired, Rach?"

She glanced at her alarm clock. It was 5AM. Thank god it was only Friday night.

"Yes. But, you know, it's been a tough night." She wrapped her arms around Finn's waist, trying to get his body heat.

"Rachel, you're shaking…" he grabbed a blanket from the bottom of her bed and wrapped her in it, before snuggling her closer into his chest.

"Thank-you" she shivered stifling a yawn.

He could hear her breathing slowing down as she drifted off to sleep in his arms. He smiled contently, kissed her head and closed his eyes as he dozed off to sleep.


	3. Breakfast Confessions

"Rachel, wake up! Breakfast is ready and going cold. Hurry on down with Finn, please!"

Rachel and Finn both awoke in a start upon hearing her father outside their door. Leroy didn't sound angry, which confused the pair.

"Okay Dad!" Rachel stood up, feeling for her dressing gown on the post of her bed.

"What? How do they know that I'm here?" Finn spoke, sounding a little nervous.

Rachel smiled. It was adorable how cute he was when he was nervous and half asleep. He rubbed his eyes wearily as she passed him his jeans from the floor.

"You left your truck on our driveway, Finn!" Hiram chuckled from behind the door, before resuming whistling a medley of Judy Garland songs happily.

Finn felt better. They weren't mad at him. That was for sure. He yawned, finally feeling awake. He remembered the events of the night before and frowned.

Rachel was in her bathroom brushing her teeth to Broadway tunes. Rachel had always taken great care with her teeth. She knew that having nice teeth would make her seem more appealing to auditors and audiences when she was finally a star on Broadway. She would clean her teeth while her top 3 favourite tunes would play out, ending with a killer high note as she rinsed her mouth out. Finn couldn't explain how adorable he thought this was.

He sneaked into the bathroom and joined in with a perfect harmony on the last note, slipping his arms around her waist when doing so. Rachel smiled. It made her so happy how romantic he was.

"You sang that perfectly!" she giggled, turning around to face him.

He kissed her, tasting the toothpaste in her mouth. Had it been anyone else, he would have been grossed out. But Rachel made everything seem perfect, no matter what it was.  
>When he finally broke off the kiss, he cupped her face with his large hand and lost himself in her big, beautiful eyes.<p>

"I'm so sorry about last night." He sighed, "I love you more than anything. I'm so lucky to have you in my life, Rachel Berry."

"It's okay" she smiled, "I guess I was a bit of a drama queen. I'm sorry too. I love you"

He kissed her cheek and breathed in, smelling the scent of cooked waffles wafting up the stairs of the Berry household. His tongue watered.

"Come on, let's go downstairs. I'm starving!"

He clasped her hands with his, kissing her head once more before heading downstairs.

Finn and Rachel walked into the Berry's dining room, seeing the table immaculately set by Leroy himself, for breakfast. Her dads were both sat in their usual seats at the table, reading newspapers.

"Nice of you to join us, Finn" Hiram said, putting his newspaper down and baring a toothy smile.

Finn turned red. The palms of his hands started to sweat in Rachel's grip. He pulled out Rachel's chair, signalling for her to sit down, before sitting down next to her.

"Uh… yeah, I-I'm sorry Mr Berry it's just-"

"Finn! Calm down. It's fine. We're not mad" Leroy interrupted, patting Hiram's arm.

Finn's blood pressure dropped significantly. He breathed out, relieved. He had set things right with Rachel, now he needed to set things right with her parents.

"Well, thank you. But I have to tell both of you something." Finn swallowed hard.

The Berry's remained silent waiting for him to start.

"I know last night I said that I was unsure about our engagement. I know I was kind of a jackass, and I'm sorry. I just freaked out and it was totally uncool. Rachel knows how sorry I am. That's why I came over here last night, to straighten things out." He said, hurriedly.

"Yes, we heard how upset she was. I'm glad you thought to come over! We couldn't sleep for listening to her sobbing dramatically" Leroy chortled, pulling a face at Rachel.

Rachel wasn't impressed and rolled her eyes.

"I know. I know. I feel terrible. But I just want you both to know that Rachel and I are engaged. No matter what I said last night, or what my parents think or even what you guys think, even though I appreciate your opinions and input. I love Rachel, and I want to spend the rest of my life with her. I was stupid last night and I made a mistake saying what I did." Finn stroked Rachel's legs under the table. She was giving him the look that she always gave him whenever she thought he was extremely romantic or sexy.

"We appreciate your decision, Finn. I don't think you understand that we support your decision. So does your mother and Burt. Relax! We, Hiram and I, think very highly of you. We are happy because you make our daughter so happy. That's all we want." Hiram got up, patting Finn's shoulder.

Finn raised to his feet. He felt as though the weight of the world had been removed from his shoulders. If they approved of the proposal, why didn't they say that last night? It could have prevented all the drama between him and Rachel, which he hated. Nevertheless, everything was okay now.

"Our daughter couldn't have chosen a better man to marry." Hiram interrupted Finn's thoughts, placing a kiss on Rachel's cheek.

Leroy shook Finn's hand happily.

"Welcome to the family, Finn"


	4. A Surprising Surprise

Finn had just dropped Rachel off at her Saturday morning ballet lesson, after sorting things out with her dad's over breakfast.

He felt great. He decided that now would be a good time to have a heart to heart with his parents before he picked Rachel up. He hadn't even told his mum and Burt himself that he and Rachel were engaged. It was Kurt who must've told them. Although Finn was somewhat mad at Kurt, it didn't matter anymore.

He drove home quickly to see his mother's car in their driveway. He felt so much more confident about the whole situation after his talk with the Berry's, and after their approval.

"Hey mum! I'm home!" He yelled, closing the front door behind him.

"Finn! You scared me to death! Why didn't you leave a note, silly?" Carole responded worriedly, but not angrily.

"I'm sorry, I was just so worked up last night that I had to leave and sort things out straight away!" he sat her down on the couch, handing her a cup of tea that she had already prepared.

"Listen, mum. I have to talk to you. I know that you found out about this through Kurt, but I swear I was going to tell you. I wanted to tell you. I was just waiting for the right time to…"

"Finn, honey. It's okay! I was just kind of surprised, I guess." Carole calmed her son. "I mean, after everything with Quinn, I just thought…"

"Mum, please do not compare my relationship with Rachel to my relationship with Quinn. They're completely different, and I'd rather not reminisce, thank you." Finn interrupted quickly, trying to stop her.

"Let me finish, Finn. I was going to say how after everything that happened between you and Quinn, I know you know how to make the right decision. I can see how Rachel has changed you. How happy she makes you. How happy you make her. How much you love her. How much you care about her. Why would I disapprove of your engagement if it makes you happy? I'd be selfish if I felt that way." Tears welled up in Carole's eyes. Happy tears.

Finn smiled at his mother. He loved her so much and really appreciated how honest she was being with him.

"You and Rachel are meant to be together. Even when you broke up last year, I could tell that you were still in love with her, and that she was still in love with you. Yes you're eighteen. You're young and you have your whole life ahead of you. But age doesn't matter when it comes to love. It's maturity that counts. Rachel and yourself have matured so much in the past year. I honestly believe you are making the right decision, sweetheart" she said, pulling her large son into her arms for a tight embrace.

Finn felt so much love at this moment. He and Rachel were closer and more loved up than ever, and his mother was basically showering him with compliments. He liked this day so far.

"Thanks Mum. I just- I wanted to make sure you know how much I want to go through with this, and I want you to be comfortable with my choices." He said, slumping against the sofa.

"I do, honey. And Burt does too. If he weren't at the shop right now, he'd be sat here with me telling you how much we accept your decision."

A large smile formed on Finn's face. Burt's opinion mattered so much to him, seeing as though he was literally the only fatherly figure in his life, besides Mr Schuester and Rachel's Dads. A part of him couldn't believe that Burt had agreed with Carole. Burt had always been the tough, hard guy who wasn't too romantic and didn't jump to conclusions. It was a lovely surprise.

"I'm so happy. It means so much to me. Thank you" Finn hugged his mother again, almost strangling her with his tight grip.

Finn checked his cell phone and stood up hurriedly.

"I have to go and pick Rachel up from her dance class, and then I'm going to take her to lunch and then we're going to buy costumes for Regionals. I'll be back around 5pm, okay?"

Carole looked worried all of a sudden. She tried to hide her concern with an over-exaggerated smile.

"Sure. Well, um, would Rachel like to stay for dinner?"

Finn had hoped that he could stay the night at Rachel's again, but it wouldn't do any harm to have dinner with just his family after last night's events. Finally smoothen everything out.

"Sure. But mum, you know she's-"

"Finn! I know. She's vegan! She eats here every other night. I buy vegan foods in for her with our weekly shop, sweetheart. You don't need to remind me every time!" Carole laughed.

"Oh right, yeah. Okay, well I'll see you later, okay?" Finn called into the kitchen where Carole was now preparing what Finn thought was that night's dinner.

"See you later!" She responded, waiting to hear the from door close.

As soon as Carole watched Finn pull out of the driveway and into the road, she sighed with relief.

"Kurt! Your brother's gone! I need to talk to you!" Carole called up the stairs to where Kurt was trying on semi-formal outfits.

Seconds later he bounded down the stairs excitedly.

"This is going to be great, Carole! I can't wait to see their faces!" Kurt giggled, like an 8 year old girl.

"Yes, well, he's planning on bringing Rachel back here for dinner at 5pm. Can you make sure that none of your friends come to the house this afternoon, and be discreet, don't mention anything involving the party" Carole worried, frantically.

"Carole, I got this." Kurt took his iphone out of his back pocket and wrote a text to the whole glee club in under 20 seconds.

"_Finn and Rachel will be at my house 5pm onwards. DO NOT come over to help us prepare for their engagement party. Preparations will be taking place at Blaine's house if you would like to help. If you need the address (Brittany) please feel free to call me or Blaine at any time. DO NOT mention a word to Finn or Rachel, and PRACTICE the numbers that we rehearsed. See you at Blaine's, or at the venue at 8pm. Kurt."_

"This is going to be brilliant" Kurt said proudly, nodding at Carole.


	5. Raining On Her Parade

It was pouring down with rain when Finn had returned to his truck with a damp Rachel.

He was enjoying the cool feel of the rain beating against his skin. He laughed when he looked up and saw Rachel's face. She clearly did not enjoy the rain, like he did.

He finally unlocked the door of the truck and let Rachel in. Once in the car, he glanced at her once more and couldn't help but laugh. She was staring at herself in the overhead mirror, groaning.

"What's up? Someone rain on your parade?" He chuckled, wiping some of the rain drops off her arms.

"That is not funny, Finn! I look like a piece of crap now!" Rachel responded, slightly angry.

He pulled a face at her, making his eyes large and leaning in to kiss her. She ran her hands through his damp hair while their mouths connected passionately.

When she broke off the kiss, he ran his thumb underneath her eye where her mascara had run.

"You look great, Rach. But you're still wearing your leotard."

He thought she looked completely adorable. Her pink leotard and white tights highlighted her figure perfectly, it really made her look beautiful.

"Yeah? I just had class, Finn." she reached into her handbag and pulled out her makeup bag, applying mascara to the lashes that had been defeated by the rain.

"Well…" he smiled placing his hand on her leg, "I was going to take you to lunch."

She smiled. Finn was always treating her to things. She wasn't quite sure where he got his money from, but whenever she tried to pay for anything, he wouldn't allow it.

"A-Are you sure? I mean, I would love that… but I'm pretty sure I look much worse than a sad clown hooker right now!"

He opened his door and got out of the truck, leaving Rachel confused in the passenger seat.  
>Seconds later, Finn opened the trunk of his car.<p>

He slumped back into the driver's seat a minute later, letterman jacket in hand.

He draped the large jacket over her shoulders, laughing at how it swallowed her up. She looked so small and cute. He kissed her cheek before settling back down into his seat and started the engine.

"Thank you" she shivered, "I guess you do always know what I'm thinking…"

Pulling out of the parking lot, he scanned radio stations before selecting one he knew Rachel would love.  
>He had programmed the Broadway radio station into his system as soon as they got back together last year. Although, he did secretly like blasting out some tunes, when Rachel was not riding with him.<p>

Rachel automatically started belting out a song that was playing from the musical 'Thoroughly Modern Millie', happily.

He loved hearing her sing, it made him feel so happy and inspired. She truly was a star.  
>When the song had finished, he turned the volume down a little.<p>

"So, where do you want to go?"

Rachel laughed. Did he really just ask her that question?

"I don't even have to answer that, Finn." She laughed even harder.

He knew what she was talking about and his cheeks flushed red. Breadstix was literally the only joint in Lima that was decent enough to eat at. Out of all the places he could take his fiancée, he was going to take her to Breadstix? It had become seriously main stream at McKinley recently. Every single time he dined there, he spotted half the school there too.

"Oh god, you're right. I-I'm sorry, we can go to Olive Garden or-"

"Finn! I love Breadstix and so do you! Let's go, come on!"

Kurt paced up and down his room, dialling Blaine's number on his phone.

"Blaine!" Kurt screeched when his better half had finally picked up, "Did anyone arrive yet?"

"Calm down! Tina, Mike and Artie are all already here and helping me blow up balloons and make food" Blaine responded over the line.

"Okay, well make sure that everyone knows the entire plan. I want this to be perfect" Kurt said, exhaling.

"And it will be perfect, Kurt. You need to relax. Listen, we're going to head down to the club in about 20 minutes to set everything up. My mum will let the rest of the guys in while I'm out, don't worry, everything is under control." Blaine calmed his boyfriend down, talking slowly and clearly.

Just then the doorbell rang. Kurt's heart jumped into his mouth.

"Uh-hold on Blaine, I think Finn and Rachel are at the door."

He place the phone down on his nightstand without hanging up and steadily made his way down the stairs.

He opened the door to see Rachel dressed in a leotard with Finn's letterman jacket draped over her, and Finn standing there grinning with 3 Lima Bean coffees in his hand.

"Hey dude, I got you a coffee" Finn placed the carton into his hand.

"We went to Breadstix Kurt. We didn't know you were in, otherwise we would've invited you too!" Rachel smiled, stepping inside the house giving Kurt a hug.

"Well, I was out with Blaine, but-but he had to go home and study for his driving test next week. Carole told me that you guys went looking for our Regionals outfits…" Kurt managed to cover up perfectly, following Finn and Rachel into the kitchen.

"Yeah, we didn't find anything. All the stores are pretty crappy at the moment. Maybe we should bring you along next time, Kurt. I'm sure you could do a better job at picking out clothes than me."  
>Finn placed his and Rachel's coffees on the table and pulled Rachel into him, nuzzling her head.<p>

"Well, that is true. I am very fashionable." Kurt admitted, nodding his head proudly.

Rachel laughed. She loved how dorky her best friend was.

"So what are you guys planning for tonight?" he continued, cautiously.

"Well, I think we're just going to pop in a movie and snuggle before dinner" Finn said, kissing Rachel's neck lightly.

"We had a rough night last night." Rachel said, placing her hand on Finn's arm that was wrapped round her body.

"Don't I know it. As soon as they got home, I was hearing all the gossip!"  
>Remembering that Blaine was still on the line upstairs, Kurt frantically turned to return to his room.<br>"Umm… I gotta go upstairs and do some stuff, okay?" he called from the stairs.

Rachel shot a confused look at Finn before the pair both disappeared into Finn's room, hand in hand. 


	6. Makeovers and Movies

***So this was my favourite chapter to write so far! I really hope you guys like it. May I please highlight the fact that i'm not a writer, so the continuity and content isn't great. But I hope you like it! I love writing these chapters. I will be uploading the next two chapters tomorrow night. I'm writing as I go, so i'll do my best to upload 2 chapters+ every night. Thanks guys!***

It was 7pm. Kurt had been on the phone with Blaine for the remainder of the night, helping him with all the preparations. The Glee club had decided to celebrate the couple's engagement after they had announced their news to mixed opinions. Some of the members of the club were definitely more supportive than others, but nevertheless they loved Finn and Rachel no matter what. They were the hearts of the club and deserved to be celebrated.

Kurt knocked on Finn's door, praying that they were not fornicating.  
>When he received no answer from behind the door, he entered warily.<p>

Finn and Rachel were both fast asleep in each other's arms; the movie that they were clearly not watching was still playing out on Finn's TV.

They looked adorable, but Kurt knew he had to wake them up to set them up for their surprise.

"Finn! Rachel! Wake up!" Kurt said, walking over to the bed where they were lead.

Finn stirred and finally opened his eyes, jumping when he saw Kurt up in his grill.

"Dude? What the-" Finn started, Rachel also opening her eyes at the sound of their voices.

The pair sat up, looking sleepy. He pulled Rachel, who was still half asleep, into his chest protectively.

"Listen, Carole just called. She said that she wanted to make up for last night with a special dinner for you guys tonight. So, she ordered that you guys dress up in semi-formal attire and make yourselves look pretty. We'll pick Burt up from the shop at 8pm and then go on to the restaurant. Okay?" Kurt blabbered.

"Wait, you're coming too?" Finn asked, rubbing his eyes.

Kurt frowned. He totally messed up on that one.

"Umm… I guess so? Carole said I could come, is that okay?" he quickly said.

"Sure it is, Kurt." Rachel responded, stroking Finn's hand signalling for him to stop talking.

"Okay, well hurry then! You have approximately 50 minutes!" Kurt said, smiling. He loved this whole process, it made him so excited.

"Kurt, wait!" Rachel called out to him. "I-I'd love to go out, but I don't have any appropriate clothing!"

Thankfully, Kurt and Carole had already thought of that.

"Carole said that you could borrow one of her dresses. You guys are more or less the same height, it should be perfect!" Kurt said, "and I pretty much designed her entire wardrobe, so don't worry, everything in there is super hot!"

Kurt and Carole had thought this up before Finn and Rachel had even got home. Rachel couldn't return to her house as Hiram and Leroy were preparing for the party themselves and constantly had people popping in and out of the house.

"Oh, okay." Rachel smiled. She began to feel excited. She was being treated a lot today. First Finn took her to lunch, now the Hudson-Hummel's were buying her dinner at a posh restaurant.

"Finn, I have one of my dad's suits that you can borrow." He hollered from the other room, returning seconds later with said suit and hanging it on his door.

"Thanks dude" Finn yawned standing up and turning off the television. "Can we have some privacy now please?"

He took a glance at Rachel who was still in his letterman jacket and leotard. She looked cold and a little bedraggled. Kurt closed the door behind him with a sigh.

"Hey, Finn? Is there any way I could take a shower really quickly?" she said sheepishly, as if it was a crime to ask him such a question. "I feel gross"

"Of course you can. I'll get you some towels" he smiled at her, happily.

She skipped towards the bathroom, taking her hair out of her ballet bun and taking the towels out of Finn's hands. He kissed her nose before she turned into the bathroom, closing the door behind her.

20 minutes later, Rachel appeared on the landing wrapped in a towel, water dripping all over the floor.

"Kurt! Please could I borrow your hair dryer? I'm pretty sure Finn doesn't own one!" she laughed, mopping up the water with her foot.

"Sure! It's in my room on my dresser, just take it! You can get changed in there if you want! I set out a few dress selections for you on my bed, if you need my advice, let me know!" Kurt called from downstairs where he was tapping away on his MacBook.

Rachel smiled happily. She loved how much Kurt cared about her, and her appearance.

A smile played on Finn's face as he was getting changed into Burt's posh tailored suit. He was genuinely excited to straighten things out from last night, once and for all.

He looked in the mirror. He looked handsome, if he was allowed to say so himself.

He could hear the familiar buzz of Kurt's hairdryer from the other room. It made him so happy how close Rachel was getting to his family. It meant so much to him that they accepted her. Or even, they accepted them.

"Finn!" Rachel called from the other room.

"Yes?" He responded quickly, being alerted.

"Can you check if my makeup bag is in my handbag, please?"

He rifled through her bag coming across her cell phone, iPod, purse and finally her makeup bag.

"Yeah, Rachel, it's here!" he responded, taking the makeup bag out of the bigger bag and holding it in his hands. "I'll bring it in to you…"

"No! Don't!" she yelled, "I mean, please just leave it outside."

It worried Finn that she was so self-conscious, at the moment, in front of him. They were engaged; they were supposed to see each other for everything that they were, warts and all. He wondered why she was so insecure. She had always put on a confident appearance of herself to everyone, but it made Finn think that she was completely different inside. Maybe she had always been so over-confident because she wanted to be noticed. He hated to think that he had made her feel un-pretty.

"Oh, okay." He placed the bag outside the door and resumed getting ready.

30 minutes later, Rachel appeared at the top of the stairs dressed in a beautiful crimson red dress that ended at her knee. The dress had an sweetheart neckline, a laced bottom and beautiful diamantes beaded onto the design. Her hair was curled and fell beautifully to her shoulders like a waterfall. Her makeup fit her complexion perfectly, her eyes smoked with eye shadow and mascara, and her lips tinted with her favourite red lip color. Her ears were dressed with her Sunday earrings that her father's got her from one of their trips to South Africa, years ago. The ring on her engagement finger seemed to shine and sparkle more brightly in the light. Maybe that was the metaphor she had been searching for. The shine within the ring. Their love.

Finn swooned. He just wanted to take her in his arms right back upstairs and have his way with her. But obviously, that was obviously not on option at this very moment.

Noticing that he should probably say something, he opened his mouth, speechless.

"You look so handsome, Finn." Rachel smiled, cutting into his thoughts.

She reached the bottom step, smiling at Kurt who was stood with Finn.  
>To her surprise, Kurt was also standing there in awe of Rachel.<br>It took a hell of a lot to impress Kurt.

Finn ignored what she had just said, and wrapped his arms around her backside, pulling her into a very hot and passionate kiss.

"Ew! Gross! You both just ruined a beautiful moment. At least Blaine and I do this sort of thing in private…" Kurt exclaimed, turning away, picking up his car keys from the kitchen table.  
>He turned around to see Finn and Rachel still making out in the middle of the hallway.<p>

Finn finally got a bit too hot, and removed his tongue from her mouth, blushing.

"Well, thank god for that-"

"You look so beautiful, Rachel. You make me speechless." Finn cut in on Kurt.

Rachel blushed herself, smiling.

"Well, that I can agree with, seeing as though I was the one who suggested that particular outfit for you, Ms. Berry" Kurt said, trying to receive all the credit once again.

"Thank you, kind sir." Rachel laughed, looking up at Finn who had his eyes fixated on her permanently.

"Well. I don't mean to be a drag, but we better go! We've got to pick my Dad and Carole up now, our reservation is for 8:30pm, and its already 7:45pm!" Kurt said, opening the front door.

Finn slipped his arm along Rachel's shoulders and walked her out the door under his arm. He had never felt as happy in his life. He knew she felt the same way too.

Kurt locked the door with a grin on his face, before turning around once more and baring his completely reliable poker face.


	7. A Posh Dinner For Five

"Alright, Kids?" Burt bounded into the seat next to Finn in Kurt's car, alarming his step-son and Rachel who were sitting in the back seats of the car swallowing each other's faces, as it looked.

Rachel's cheeks blushed, feeling extremely embarrassed that Burt had caught them making out again.

"How was your day, Burt? Rachel asked wanting to clear the awkwardness from the situation, "Isn't it a little late to be finishing work tonight? You must have been working really hard."

Still unbeknown to Finn and Rachel, Burt had spent the latter half of his day organizing everything for the night's celebrations. He had decorated the night club they were en route to with hundreds of red and white streamers, balloons and banners reading: 'Congratulations Finn and Rachel'

He had set up the stage that was at the night club, so that the Glee kids could pay tribute to them in the way that they desired. Kurt had told Burt about all the nasty reactions the couple had gotten when learning of their news, and how they wanted to apologise and show their support in a special way.

He anticipated that Finn and Rachel would belt out a few tunes before the night ended, too. He knew that they would appreciate it.

Burt had gone to the extreme, and invited literally everyone that Finn and Rachel knew.  
>Hiram and Leroy had flown in some of Rachel's close cousins who she rarely saw just for the party.<br>They wanted to celebrate Finn and Rachel in style and the way that they deserved.

"Well, it's that time of the year, you know. A lot of accidents because of the bad weather" Burt quickly said, dismissing the question almost immediately.

Carole finally got into the passenger seat next to Kurt at the wheel, after taking her time looking up the tire store. As soon as Finn had left in the afternoon, she finished prepping some of the food, grabbed her dress for the night and dashed off to the store to finish preparing with Burt.

She was wearing a dark blue, flowing dress that matched her eyes wonderfully.

"So where are we going guys? Rachel and I are a little confused" Finn said, finally drawing his lips away from Rachel's neck and putting his arm tenderly around her shoulders.

"Don't worry, Finn. It's not Breadstix, it's a new restaurant that opened last week" Kurt chimed in, keeping his eyes on the road steadily.

Maybe Finn was wrong after all. Maybe there was a restaurant in Lima that was actually acceptable to eat in, other than Breadstix. He felt extremely embarrassed now. But Rachel just stared up at him with her big, brown eyes, losing herself in his.

He stoked her cheek with his hand before leaning in to kiss her. Just then, Kurt checked his rear view mirror and groaned dramatically.

"Can you guys please get a room? I swear this entire car ride you haven't had time to breathe because your tongues have been shoved down each other's throats for that long!" he spitted, seeming disgusted, but still coming across as funny to his family.

Finn rolled his eyes, pulling away from her and nuzzling his head on top of hers, seemingly annoyed with his step-brother.

"Kurt, stop being such a kill joy, dude." Burt laughed, nudging Finn in the ribs.

Finn appreciated how Burt understood him, and supported him. It was so great to have a man in his life to look up to and aspire to be. Burt understood Finn's man hood. Something that he and Kurt never shared together. Not that Burt cared about that, because he didn't. He loved his son for everything he was, but he felt fatherly when giving Finn pep talks on relationships and girls and what not.

Suddenly, Finn wished that he was back at home, snuggled up in bed with Rachel. Just enjoying her company. He wanted to marry Rachel more than anything else in the world, but there was just so much drama that came along with it. Finn was willing to do anything to win their parent's approval, so he decided to power through with the night and put on a brave face.

"Are we nearly there yet?" Finn said less than two minutes later, getting impatient with Kurt's careful, steady driving.

5 long minutes later, Kurt pulled into a parking lot next to a building that, to Finn and Rachel's eyes, looked nothing at all like a posh restaurant.

"W-Where's the restaurant, Finny?" Rachel asked her fiancée, concerned.

Finn was totally confused himself and sidled up to Kurt, Rachel clinging to his arm.

"Dude, where's this fancy diner you were talking about?" he questioned his brother.

"It's a restaurant, Finn." Kurt rolled his eyes. Finn was such a boy.

"It's inside that building, honey" Carole added, walking along the road with Burt, hand in hand. "It's part of a shopping complex. There are a bunch of stores and eating places inside"

"Oh, yeah. I think one of the guys on the football team told me about this place!" Finn smiled, starting to get excited again.

Kurt led Finn and Rachel into the foyer of the building that was completely baron. There was not a single person walking around. Rachel was yet again confused. It was Saturday night, after all. She would have put all her money on the place being packed.

A woman dressed in a staff uniform met Finn, Rachel and Kurt in the foyer, while Burt and Carole hung back a little, and guided them up a staircase to a door that she said led to their desired restaurant.

Finn shrugged. It was a weird set out to what he was used to, but he just wanted to get the dinner over and done with so that he could pay all of his attention to Rachel when it was done.

Kurt dropped his head, turning the doorknob and opened the door, trying extremely hard not to grin like the Cheshire cat whilst doing so.

The last streamer had just been strung up inside the club when Blaine received yet another frantic phone call from Kurt.

"Blaine? Okay, Rachel's almost read, we're leaving my house in around 5 minutes which means we'll probably get to you in 50 minutes or so, okay? We're going to pick my dad and Carole up now…"

Blaine smiled. He loved how utterly adorable Kurt was when he was panicking, but still so excited to see the events of the night unfold.

"Kurt, breathe! We have everything under control here! Almost everyone is here, well the entire Glee club at least. People are constantly arriving. I'll make sure to keep the foyer clear for when you arrive though. Wouldn't want Finn and Rachel to get suspicious seeing a bunch of people they know coincidentally walking around. I'll get a member of staff to chaperone you up to the door." Blaine said, calming Kurt's nerves instantly.

Kurt exhaled feeling automatically happier.

"Thanks Blaine, you're the best. What would we do without you, honestly? You're a life saver."

It made Blaine happy to know that Kurt appreciated him and his efforts.

"I wanted to do this, Kurt. For Finn and Rachel. You may not know it, but they're a big reason for the New Direction's success." He laughed. "See you in an hour or so."


	8. Love From All Directions

"SURPRISE!"

Hundreds of eyes turned to the door where Finn and Rachel were stood, Kurt behind them, not wanting to hog their spotlights.

Their faces were bright red, but they were smiling, clinging onto each other happily.

They were on top of a great balcony overlooking the whole night club, which had been colour co-ordinated to red and white.

There were streamers hung in every direction, and banners pasted all over the walls. There was a long table that had been possessed by endless amounts of engagements gifts and cards.

The pair noticed the Glee club were already positioned on the stage ready to perform.

To their surprise, when the applause and cheering died down, Santana and Mercedes walked up to the mic.

Finn wrapped his arm around Rachel's waist, holding her proudly, showing her off to everyone watching.

"Finn. Rachel. Firstly, congratulations. We're so happy for you both." Mercedes smiled, sounding extremely genuine.

"But we, the Glee club… as your family, just wanted to let you know that we love you and appreciate your every decision."

Rachel felt tears pricking in her eyes. How was this actually happening to her? This wasn't supposed to happen. She was supposed to be lonely and un-loved. Yet, there were hundreds of people celebrating her and Finn.

Santana took the microphone out of Mercedes' hand, on cue.

"We know that we were kind of douchebags to you. I know that I've been a douchebag to both you for the majority of this year. And last year, and the year before…"

Mercedes elbowed Santana in the ribs, laughing. Reminding her that she was getting carried away.

"But you guys have both given me so much. You've given me a family in the Glee club. You've given me a support system, and you've made me happy." Santana continued. "I know we've all had our ups and downs. We've all fought, and stolen each other's love interests and best friends or whatever. But this year has really taught me that everything will be okay, as long as you have people in your life that will love you and accept you no matter what. You guys are the heart of the Glee club. You inspire us, you care about us and you make us succeed. The Glee club wouldn't exist without you. I can't believe I'm saying this, but especially Rachel."

A happy tear rolled down Rachel's cheek. She'd never heard Santana say one nice thing to her before. She realised that maybe Glee club did work after all. It was one thing saying that they were all part of something special, but this just proved it.

Mr Schuester appeared from out of the uncountable number of people on the nightclub floor, and up onto the stage. Santana extended her arm and handed the microphone to Mr Schue.

"Guys, I totally agree with everything Santana just said. You guys are the reason Glee club works, and you deserve to be celebrated in the way that you deserve." He smiled his toothy smile, looking back onto the Glee club behind him.

"So. We decided to put together a little Finn and Rachel medley for you. Take it away guys!"

Finn and Rachel automatically looked at each other in shock. Were they actually going to pay tribute to them?

The first opening chords of 'Faithfully' blared through the club as Sam and Mercedes took the lead vocals.

Finn pulled Rachel into his arms, slipping his arms to her waist, stroking them affectionately. He had truly never felt more happy or loved in his entire life.

"Break a leg" Rachel said, looking up to him with tears in her eyes.

He knew what she talking about, and he honestly wanted to cry himself. This song brought back so many amazing memories to him for them, as a couple. It marked the first time their love had been truly acknowledged.

"I love you" he responded, moving a strand of her hair from her face and moving her chin closer to his with his finger. He kissed her, and honestly felt something he'd never felt before. He felt true love. He felt security. He felt happy. He felt excited and surprised and grateful all at once. He finished the kiss, nibbling her lip, and turning to face the people once more.

After the short rendition of 'Faithfully' finished, the Glee club moved on to their duet of 'Borderline/Open You Heart' from Madonna week.

Finn and Rachel finally broke apart and started greeting all their guests.

Rachel ran into Kurt's arms, thanking him and squeezing him tightly, before embracing Burt and Carole who appeared at the door.

"Thank you so much. You didn't need to do this!" Rachel gushed, wiping the tears from her eyes.

Carole held Rachel at arm length and looked her straight in the eye.  
>"Thank you for making my son so happy, sweetheart. It's the least we could do."<p>

Rachel squeezed Carole tightly, appreciating the feeling it was giving her. Rachel felt like she had a mother in Carole, and Carole felt like she had a daughter in Rachel. It was unbelievable that they were actually going to be in-laws soon.

Hiram and Leroy turned up behind Burt and Kurt a few seconds later, hugging Finn and Rachel and chatting with the Hudson-Hummel's briefly.

After Finn made the rounds around his family members, he came back to Rachel, stroking her hand.

The pair made their way down the staircase to the night club floor to greet their friends.

The Glee club had just finished the third song of the medley which had been 'Don't Go Breaking My Heart' and moved on to their fourth: 'Pretending'

It felt weird not having their closest friends greeting them on the dance floor, as they were up onstage rocking out. Nevertheless, they greeted their acquaintances politely and thanked them for coming.

Just as 'Pretending' finished, Finn and Rachel gasped in shock at the song that Glee were singing next.

The looked at each other, and burst out laughing.

The Glee club were laughing to as Mike and Tina sang 'With You I'm Born Again'

Rachel almost wet herself with laugher, wrapping her arms around Finn in his embrace.

When the Glee club were done, they were applauded by the entire club.

Finn and Rachel made their way onto the stage and took the microphones from their best friend's.

Finn cleared his throat that seemed unusually dry.

"Thank you all so much for coming. It means so much to us. I know that Rachel and I have caused some stir around McKinley this week, with the news of our engagement getting out." He pulled Rachel into him by her waist, "This is real. We may be young, but we know what we want and what we need. We appreciate your understanding and acceptance in this situation. It means so much to us that you support us and that are honoured to have you in our lives. Thank you guys!"

Finn helped Rachel down off the stage, hearing everyone applaud.

The Glee club automatically jumped on top of them, giving them one of their big group hugs, showering them with love.


End file.
